Nowadays, it is too easy to believe what we read on the Internet. It has become such a complex and crowded computer network system with a constant flow of data being added to it every single day. Thus, when it comes to using the Internet purposefully, such as looking for sources when writing a research paper, it becomes extremely hard to filter information that is true from information that is completely skewed or tarnished with extremely biased views.
My last CTW class proved just this point. We were given several pairs of websites that contained information about the same subject. However, one website of each pair was much more reliable and accurate than the other. As expected, assumptions were made and people were fooled. This was especially due to the aesthetic allure of some of the false websites that appeared much more professional than their counterparts.
Most of these false websites were considered unreliable because of their extremely biased authors, from members of the KKK, to vegan hippies, to fertilizer distributors…etc. This activity was a huge wakeup call for me, so I thought it smart to find a guide that recommended tips to avoiding such a problem.
In this article that I found, you are walked through the different steps that you can take in order to not be fooled by false Internet sources. Such steps include evaluating the credibility of the author, investigating the reliability of the content, and noting the timeliness and relevance of the information.
Even more specifically, the article points out that one easy way to get an initial idea of whether the information is reliable or not is to look at its web address. Sometimes the web address indicates who sponsored the content, which may give insight as to whether the information is biased or not.
With my last eye-opening CTW class along with this useful Internet bullsh*t detector guide in mind, I will be much more conscious of not just what I use as Internet sources, but simply what I believe and read on the Internet in general. Nowadays, it is too easy for anyone from anywhere for whatever reason to post whatever they like. While this ability is liberating, it also presents many dangerous consequences, especially for the most naive of students.
Images Cited:
http://image.slidesharecdn.com/internettechnology-131102052436-phpapp02/95/internet-technology-32-638.jpg?cb=1383371132
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcs5z4gyRH1r4ekn1o9_250.gif
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